Time was limited, our questions had to be short & the candidates were only allowed about 1 minute to answer them, so I decided to just get to the point & ask them where they stood on Alex Atamanenko’s Bill C-322. All four of them said that they support horse slaughter. Here is how they responded to my question;

John Kolk (PC)

“This is from the provincial side of things, but I would not be in favour of supporting that (Bill C322), the animals that we work with & there are all kinds of animal agriculture in Alberta, I would be supportive of animal agriculture & I will continue to be supportive of animal agriculture, that it’s done with respect to those animals & it’s done with proper care, I think those are important & we certainly have those rules in the (inaudible) jurisdiction.”

Everett Tanis (Liberal)

“Hi, I wasn’t born here but we come from different cultures. We ate horse meat & it’s a food producing animal, whether it’s a horse or a cow or a chicken, there’s a difference because horse is man’s best friend, much like a dog but we don‘t eat dog meat (inaudible), but I will not support the stop of slaughter of horses. It’s done in a properly, humane manner. Thank you.”

Bev Muendel-Atherstone (NDP)

“We’ve had horses, we’ve loved horses, I’ve ridden horses & we’ve had horses who broke their legs & had to be put down, we’ve had all kinds of situations with horses. I think that this is a federal law that you’re talking about, so that should be brought up during the federal election, but I agree with the other two gentlemen here that as long as it’s done in a humane way & that we give the um, that we take care of our wild horses & we take care of the horses that we have, umm, unless, I mean I’d like to read this bill but as you’ve raised it, uh, I think that we have to leave this up to the vets & have the veterinarian inspection systems, they can look after this & ensure that the horses are not, are not stressed when they are shot or they’re killed but at this point I have no reason that there’s anything wrong with this bill, unless you tell me why. Thank you.”

Ian Donovan (Wildrose)

“In a, the federal issue, I haven’t actually read this bill so I hate to make to many comments when I haven’t done any background on it. I agree with the other candidates here, We’re all, we’re looking towards the proper way of disposal & to make sure that it’s humane at all times. Thank you for your question.”

I was so disgusted that I took the buttons I had on my coat, in support of Bev Muendel-Atherton & then I got up & walked out. When I got home, I immediately removed my lawn & signs that I had supporting Bev Muendel-Atherton & threw them straight into the garbage.

Once I calmed down, I decided to email all of them, so they could see for themselves the realities of horse slaughter (I have included it at the bottom if you are interested in reading it, along with the replies I have gotten thus far). I made sure to go into detail, so everything was crystal clear & I provided them with links to the undercover investigations, the video of the horse dealer that came forward & confessed to the horrors horses are subjected to & the letter Alex Atamanenko wrote to Mr. George Da Pont, President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

So far, I have only heard back from John Kolk & Bev Muendel-Atherton. John Kolk completely brushed it all off, while Bev Muendel-Atherton went with trying to change the subject. I replied back to both, calling them out on the fact that neither one of them even bothered to click on a single link, because their attitude towards horse slaughter would change drastically if they were to do even the most minimal amount of research.

It makes my blood boil to know that all the candidates support horse slaughter & actually believe that it’s done correctly & humanely. I’m so over the ignorance towards the truth. The fact that none of them (as of yet) have bothered to look into the information that I have sent them, proves that they are just as sick as the rest of the people who are living lavishly off the blood money they receive.

We need to force the Government to do the right thing, we must let them know that we will not allow our horses to be tortured, abused, maimed & killed in the most barbaric way, we will not tolerate them purposely poisoning people, just to make a buck. The time has come for them to get their heads out of their asses & smarten the hell up.

The Government needs to be held accountable for their irresponsible & selfish decisions & actions. The time for excuses, wool pulling, head in the sand & cover up’s are over. If they claim to not want to sell tainted beef, chicken, pork, etc, than they sure as hell shouldn’t be allowing tainted horse meat to be sold & exported. It’s common sense, but they have none. They need to start understanding that if it weren’t for the people who voted for them, they would not be where they are, therefore they better start listening to us.

Horse meat, as well all know already, will never be safe to eat, there has never been & will never be any possible way to ensure that horses who were givenBute, wont enter the food chain. There will never be a way to humanely euthanize a horse in a slaughter plant & no one will ever care about their well being during transport.

We all get it, so why doesn’t anyone who can do something about it get it? When will they stop wanting to profit from making people sick?

They can not say that they are unaware of the truth, because I have provided them with the answers.

——————————————————————————————-Here are the emails.

Due to the time limit when asking questions at the forum held in Coaldale last night, I could not get into the details, this will tell you about the importance of why horse slaughter must be ended in Canada, as well as the import & export of horse into & out of Canada for the purpose of slaughter.
This email is filled with facts, not accusations, myths, beliefs & theories, but actual facts.
I hope this helps you to better understand that horse slaughter is in fact not done correctly & is so far from humane. There is no need for it, as I have said before, only 16% of the entire world’s population eat horse meat, so unlike beef, chicken, pork, etc, there is no demand high enough for it to be considered a necessity.

The law states that every horse that goes to slaughter MUST be accompanied with their original papers, to show their medical history & if they had been given drugs that are banned by the FDA & CFIA in animals intended for human consumption, yet this is impossible & rarely the case since so many horses have gone through multiple owners, are bought at auction & have even been stolen.

The most common drug that is given to horses, is Bute(Phenylbutazone) which is an analgesic (relieves pain) and anti-inflammatory medication, that is as common in horses, as aspirin is to people. The warning label reads; Health risks. Humans should not inhale or ingest Bute. Wash hands immediately after administering Bute. In humans, bone marrow, renal, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal side effects are associated with use of Phenylbutazone.
Bute is a drug that is not only banned in animals intended for human consumption, but a drug that never leaves the system once it had been administered. Tests may say that the carcass is free of Bute, but the tests is not done on the part of the carcass where Bute can be found (in the Kidneys). Therefore, no amount of guaranteeing a horse that has ever had Bute given to them, will ever make their meat safe to eat. Racehorses are also commonly sent to slaughter plants & we know they are given Bute, as is the case with any privately owned horse.
There has never been & never will be any way possible to ensure that horses going to slaughter, for the purpose of human consumption, are free of drugs such as Bute, yet no one in the Government seems to care. Why? Because horse slaughter is a great way to pad their wallets? That must be it, because there is not one benefit to horse slaughter, that isn’t monetary & that is only for those who benefit directly from the slaughter industry, which is only the people who are involved with horse slaughter (buyers, transporters, people in the plant, horse racing, PMU farms, Nurse mares, etc.) & the Government.
So I ask you, why is it not ok to allow consumers to eat tainted pork, beef, chicken, turkey or fish, but it is perfectly acceptable to allow consumers to eat tainted horse meat.

I do understand that there are still people who do not know the realities of horse slaughter, but with all of the information out there & how easily it can be accessed, the time for excuses, wool pulling, head in the sand & cover up’s are over, it is time for action & the majority of Canadians, as well as many other people in many other countries, are demanding that horse slaughter be abolished once & for all. We will not be quiet & we will not stop, until horse slaughter & the import/export of horses for slaughter has been banned, forever.

Its the voters who put you into office & once there it is not only your job, it is your responsibly to listen to the people who put their trust in you.

Thank you for taking the time to really look into these truths.

I will begin with a link to a letter from Alex Atamanenko to Mr. George Da Pont, President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

I am just extremely passionate about ending the needless horse slaughter. I am adding links to videos that I really do hope you will take the time to view. I am also including the video of the former killer buyer, who confessed to the horrors the horses go through during transport to the slaughter plants.

I understand that this is just one person saying these things, but this is common practice with kill buyers & transporters.

I do understand that some people think the undercover investigations were faked, which I can assure you were not. There is no way possible to fake such inhumane practices. I also understand that many can not bring themselves to view these videos, but I beg of you to do so. I have seen every one of them & through the tears of my broken heart & infuriating rage, I managed to pull myself together & fight even harder to stop this. If you were to watch these or even read the reports, I promise you that you will agree that this is not even sort of ok.

Another point I am desperately trying to make is that horse meat is extremely unsafe for human consumption & these investigations do prove it. Just read the reports aboutButealone. I will let you get on with your day, I just ask that you please have enough heart to look at this, watch the videos & read the reports. By getting behind Bill C-322 & helping to end horse slaughter, it will not only save our horses, it will save human lives & be a part of history.

I will start with the most recent investigation (July 13 & 14. 2011), followed by the older ones & finally the testimony of a former killer buyer. Below the link to the 3 heart-wrenching & extremely unjust videos on the CHDC page “Chambers of Carnage”, you can read the reports of the veterinarians who viewed this atrocity & wrote reports on it. I know that it was said during that forum that if there was something that could be heard from veterinarians, then views about horse slaughter may change, well as you will see, there are detailed reports by qualified veterinarians, who have spoken out about what they have seen, what they know & why horse slaughter is not only inhumane, but dangerous to the people who work in the slaughter plants, as well as the consumers who eat horse meat.

Thanks for clarifying which bill that was and which jurisdictionHere is my reply to John.
You’re welcome. Maybe one day you will click on the links & see the truth about horse slaughter, I’d be really interested in how you feel about it afterwards.

Here is Bev Muendel-Atherstone’s reply;

Hi Joie,

Thanks so much for your extensive e-mail about horse slaughter and the realities of it.

You are correct about Bill C-322; it is a federal bill as a private bill introduced by

Alex Atmanenko who you mention is a M.P. for BC southern Interior. All Members of

Parliament are Federal representatives of their ridings. The federal representative for

Lethbridgeand Coaldale is Mr. Jim Hillyar. His office is in downtownLethbridge.

Lethbridgeand area residents voted for him last year in the Federal election;

Mr. Hillyar represents the Conservative Party, the same as the Prime Minister,

Stephen Harper.

Thanks again for your concern and interest in the horse slaughter issue.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my email, I am sure however, that if you had taken a look at the videos, your view of horse slaughter would drastically change. If not for the inhumane aspects of horse slaughter, then at least for the health issues associated with horse meat.
It is impossible to say you are an avid horse lover, while supporting the torture, abuse & horrific way in which they are so inhumanely & improperly killed at the slaughter plants, not to mention the torture & fear they go through during transport. Many horses are horribly injured, downed & even killed during transport.
You are the one who told me about that forum in Coaldale & that I should come there & bring up the subject of horse slaughter. I told you as you were handing me the signs & buttons that I felt we had to get NDP in office because you are the only party who want to end horse slaughter & who actually realize that it’s poisoning people.

You just stood there & said “Yea, absolutely”, but once asked in front of the towns people what your stand on horse slaughter was, you said “As long as it’s done in a humane way & we take care of our wild horses & to leave it up to the vets & have the veterinarian inspection systems look after it & ensure that they are not stressed when they are shot or killed, but at this point you have no reason to believe that there is anything wrong with this Bill.
Well, I have provided you with more than you have asked for, to prove to you that those horses ARE in fact stressed when shot & killed, yet I know by your reply that you have not even looked at any of it.
Well I did & I must be honest, when I heard that you support horse slaughter, I lost a lot of respect for you. I am not the only one who was surprised to hear that an NDP was for horse slaughter, everyone I have spoken to since, have all been shocked.
As for Jim Hillyer, I had lost respect for him long ago, when I had first brought this to his attention & he not only ignored my emails, he had one of his aids doing the dirty work for him. If I wanted someone’s aid to view the videos & look at the facts, I would address my emails & letters to them. I have sent numerous emails to Jim Hillyer, only to hear back from one of his aids & I was told that Mr. Hillyer has no interest in viewing the facts & that he was waiting for the next reading of Bill C-322 before he makes his decision on whether he if for or against horse slaughter, that time has come & gone & he still refuses to say a word. As far as I am concerned, if an elected official does not care about such serious matters & ones that most Canadians are against, than he is of no use to me, or to Canada.

The 35 to 40 horses were destined for slaughter, but many already appeared half-dead

photo by Animal’s Angels

Crammed into a small pen, they were so emaciated their hip and rib bones were showing. Some were crippled, and others listless with swollen jaws consistent with equine distemper, according to interviews and sheriff’s reports. Witnesses reported no food or water in the pen, located in Albuquerque’s South Valley.

A Bernalillo County deputy, with help from the District Attorney’s Office, filed 16 counts of animal cruelty and neglect against the owner of the horses, Dennis V. Chavez.

That was more than 20 years ago.

Now that same Dennis V. Chavez faces new allegations of animal cruelty and neglect involving horses at his Los Lunas livestock auction business in a case that has made international news.

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